THE 12 APOSTLES: PHILIP
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: CLIMB THE WALLS
1. “Oh, I sure m happy to see you,” the little boy said to his Grandmother on his mother’s side when she came to visit.
2. “Maybe now Daddy will do the trick he’s been promising us.”
3. The Grandmother was curious. “What trick was that?” she asked.
4 “I heard him tell Mommy that he would ‘climb the walls’ if you came to visit!” the little boy answered.
B. THESIS
1. Today is our 3rd part in the series, “The 12 Apostles of Jesus.” These 12 men, like us, all had their strengths and weaknesses.
2. As we study them, we’ll see how Jesus worked with them to help them grow in faith and courage.
3. Tonight we’re going to look at a disciple who had unique challenges and opportunities.
4. The title of this message is, The 12 Apostles of Jesus: Philip.”
I. THE UNIQUE CALL OF PHILIP
Philip was one of the only six disciples that Jesus said, “Follow Me” to (Peter, Andrew, Matthew, unnamed disciple (Lk. 9:59), the Rich Young Ruler, and Philip.)
A. THE BIBLICAL TEXT: JOHN 1:35-46
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus [and stayed with Him that day]. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.”
B. RAPIDITY OF EVENTS FOLLOWING JOHN THE BAPTIST’S ANNOUNCEMENT JESUS = CHRIST
1. TIMING. John baptized Jesus & then Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days (Mk. 1:12-13). Evidently it was immediately after this that Jesus went back to visit John the Baptist, who bore witness to Him.
2. Vs. 35, “the next day” after John’s official announcement that Jesus is the Christ, Andrew follows Jesus, goes to His house, and then brings Peter to meet Him.
3. Peter & Andrew (and Philip) all lived in Bethsaida (Jn. 1:44), a small town on the NW corner of the Sea of Galilee. Its name means “House of Fishing.” It’s very possible that Philip too was a fisherman, or at least smelled like one!
4. Probably all 3 had been going to hear the preaching of John the Baptist, who at that time was evidently baptizing in the Jordan ABOVE the Sea of Galilee. It goes northward for another 50 miles!
5. The “next day” after the calling of Andrew & Peter, they began traveling with Jesus through Bethsaida toward the wedding at Cana (Vs. 43), which was far to the west in Galilee (Bethsaida was NOT in Galilee!).
6. On their way they met Philip and Jesus called him to “follow Him.”
C. HUMOR: THE NAME GAME
1. Boudreau and Thibodeau were reading the Cajun Bible, when Boudreau looked at Thibodeau and said, "Thibodeau, lemme axe ya somethin'."
2. "Go ahead," said Thibodeau. "What do John da Baptist, Attila da Hun, an' Winnie da Pooh all got in common?" asked Boudreau.
3. Thibodeau answered, "I dunno. What?" "Come-on, dey all got da same middle name!" replied Boudreau.
D. ORDAINED ONE OF THE 12
1. Philip was later ordained one of the 12, Mt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18; Lk. 6:14. This was the formal public declaration by Jesus of who His official disciples were.
2. With the position came authority. The 12 were given power to cast out demons and heal the sick.
II. HE WITNESSED TO A SKEPTIC
A. HOW IT CAME ABOUT
1. After Philip was called, he must have run ahead to Nathanael’s to tell him about Jesus, for Jesus and the others soon arrived where Nathanael was and Jesus called him as well.
2. “[Philip] found Nathanael and told him that "we have found him, of whom Moses … and the prophets, did write." Nathanael was skeptical. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” But Philip didn’t argue with him; he simply answered, "Come and see."
3. This shows the right approach to skeptics. He looked to the Word of God for his authority about Jesus. When responded to with skepticism, he didn’t argue, he just offered the experiential dimension as proof.
B. HOW JESUS WITNESSED TO SKEPTICS:
1. BY CONFRONTING THEIR ATTITUDES. John 6:41-43: “Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down out of heaven….’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do not grumble among yourselves.’”
2. BY REMOVING THEIR SELF-CONFIDENCE. John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” You can’t save yourself. I’m the only way!
3. BY APPEALING TO THE SCRIPTURES. “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.” John 5:39-40, The Message Bible.
4. BY STATING THE FINAL OUTCOME OF REFUSING CHRIST. John 8:24, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
III. A CHANCE TO FEED 5,000 PEOPLE
A. “YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT”
Mt. 14:15-16 “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” [Also Mk. 6:37; Lk. 9:13].
B. PHILIP WAS THE MAN
1. This was Jesus giving the disciples a chance to work a miracle. In John 6:5-7, John reveals that it was specifically to Philip that Jesus had said this! It was to him that Jesus’ challenge came.
2. “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Jn. 6:5-7.
3. I think Jesus was offering Philip a chance to enlarge his vision by looking to God for some supernatural way to feed the multitude. Elisha had multiplied 20 small loaves to feed 100 hungry men, with food left over (2 Kgs. 4:42-44). Couldn’t Jesus do more than that? But none of the disciples rose to the challenge.
IV. INTRODUCED GREEKS TO JESUS
A. GREEKS WHO’D BECOME JEWS
1. The setting for this story is in Jerusalem, right after the Triumphal Entry (John 12:12-19). Some Greeks “who went up to worship at the Feast” (vs. 20), went to Philip and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus (vs. 21).” Uncertain how to proceed, Philip went to Andrew for advice. Then Andrew AND Philip went to Jesus about them (vs. 22).
2. Jewish-Christian scholar Alfred Edersheim says that these were undoubtedly Greeks who’d become Jews – proselytes -- accepting circumcision and all the Law & ordinances of Moses.
3. They were seekers after God, and now that the great Prophet from Galilee had come, they wanted to know what this closer emissary from God could tell them about the True God.
4. Jesus had even brought with Him Lazarus (12:17), a man who’d been dead 4 days and Jesus had raised from the dead. The whole city was stirred up!
B. FORESHADOWED THE FUTURE GENTILE CHURCH
1. Jesus’ reply was probably to the Greeks (12:24-28). Jesus spoke as if the Greek’s coming to Him was the firstfruits of His mission being fulfilled.
2. However, only by His death could He glorify God & accomplish it. He asked whether He should ask God to spare Him from death, but answered Himself that He only wished to glorify the Father (27-28).
3. At that moment, a miracle occurred for the Greeks. As at Jesus’ baptism, the voice of the Father spoke from heaven that He’d already glorified Jesus (28-29). Jesus answered by saying, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (meaning Gentiles too).
V. STATEMENT AT THE LORD’S SUPPER
A. SEPARATION ANXIETY
1. During the Lord’s Supper, Jesus began to tell His disciples that He must “Go away.”
2. This provoked Peter to say, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” John 13:36-37.
3. Jesus began to soothe them by talking about going to His Father’s House and preparing a place for them. Jesus said that He was the Way to get there; if they’d seen Him, that they’d seen the Father.
B. PHILIP’S DESIRE TO SEE THE FATHER
1. Philip spoke up in 14:8 asking, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Philip’s statement provoked Jesus to describe how a). the Father and He were One, b). How we’ll be able to do the same miracles He did, and c). the coming of the Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus answered in Vs. 9 saying, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
3. Jesus went on to say the Father lives in Him. That the words, works, and the miracles are the evidence of the Father living in Him.
4. Then Jesus utters the great promise, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father,” vs. 12.
5. Jesus then began to talk about the Holy Spirit’s coming, which would be in His stead and would guide and teach them.
6. Someone has said, “The essence of false religion is a Christian being involved in religious activity while being void of spiritual intimacy.” Are we hungry for more intimacy with God? Philip was. Let’s be too!
VI. LATER MENTIONS OF PHILIP
A. IN THE UPPER ROOM
1. Acts 1:13 mentions Philip as being among the 120 on the Day of Pentecost.
2. So he too heard and saw the rushing mighty wind and flames of fire and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave him utterance. He was “endued with power from on high.”
B. TRADITION, ON HIS WORK & DEATH
1. Tradition says he preached in Phrygia and was martyred in Hieropolis in Syria.
2. It is said that he died by hanging. While he was dying, he requested that his body be wrapped not in linen but in papyrus for he was not worthy that even his dead body should be treated as the body of Jesus had been treated.
3. The symbol of Philip is a basket, because of his part in feeding of the five thousand. It is he that stressed the cross as a sign of Christianity and victory.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: LORDSHIP OF CHRIST
1. The Queen of England is a prestigious figure. She looms larger-than-life. She even has her own palace. There's only one problem. She has no power.
2. She looks good. She looks like one of the most powerful women in the world, but she can't even vote and she can't veto. Her position in her country is one of courtesy.
3. What England does to the Queen, we do to the King.
We give Him verbal recognition. We encase Him in beautiful palaces called churches.
4. We've got people coming to pay homage to Him, but when it comes to decision-making, the veto power, and voting, we don't need Him.
5. We acknowledge His position without giving Him the credit for power that accompanies it. [Tony Evans, p. 119-120.]
6. Philip surrendered to Jesus and followed Him. Have you?
B. THE CALL
1. Philip was a disciple that, though he wasn’t a big name, was faithful and energetic to follow Jesus.
2. Are we putting in the same kind of effort and energy into following Christ as Philip? Are we:
a. Witnessing to skeptics? (Nathanael)
b. Trying to step out in miracles? (5,000)
c. Reaching out to other people groups? (Greeks)
d. Wanting to see a greater revelation of God? (Father)
3. Philip followed Christ and went out to tell the good news. We know he ultimately was faithful unto death. May God make us as faithful as Philip.
4. Prayer.
